Paper fastener



INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS H. HELLMAN PAPER FASTENER Filed April 30, 1954 /M%7WW Feb. 12, 1935.

Patented F b 1935 p r p Q U I i I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAPER AS NER U Henry Hellman, SyracusaN. Y.

Application April 30, 1934, Serial No.723, 126 U v t sol-aims. (01. 24-153) i t Thisinve'ntioh relates to a' e fasteners of the with and fixed thereto, movable into interlocking type including a base'platewith prongs. for enterengagement as distinguished from frictional en;

ingthebundle of papers to be fastened and a s m ntwi h th ben downbronss up nbo ily compressor plate overlying the top or cover sheet movement of .the compressor plate tolinterlock '5 of the bundle and havingiguides, as slots, through the bent down prongswith the meansor lipoht'he which the prongs extend; and has for its object compressor plate.

a paper fastener in which the prongs whenbent 1 de nat s t e base plate Which is formed downon the compressor plate are held intheir with prongs 2, the opposite ends thereoffor bent down or clinched position on the compressor piercing'or passing through punched holes'in'the '10 plate or released by a bodily shifting movement bundle of papers P to be, fastened. 3 designates 1o of the compressor plate toward or from the the compressorplate formed with guides for re}- prongs, a locking means self-contained with, and ceiving "the prongs/these guides being in the a part ofthe compressor plate movable into a form of transverse'slots 4 near the ends of the locked position by the bodily movement of the compressor plate, the slots being of sufiicient compressor plate. lengthjto permit a rectilinear bodily. shifting 1'5 It further has'for its object in a' paper fastener movement of the compressor platefforwardfand of this type locking means including a portion from the prongs. The compressor .plateis' proor a shoulder movable into position tolock in vided, preferably along bothedgesthereoffwith contradistinction tofrictionally hold, or to oboverhanging lips 5, 6, and' preferably, the endsof s'truct relative shifting of'the'compressor plate these overhanging lips are bent down as at 'lat' '20 and tongues when the tongues'are in interlocked their ends onto the compressor plate, theseflips engagement with the compressor plate. constituting means for interlocking with the bent The invention consists in the novel features down prongs upon shifting of the plate toward and in the combinations and constructions here the prongs, after theprongs are bent down on inafter set forth and claimed. 3 i to the plate. I 25 -In describing this invention, reference is had In Figuresl and .3, the prongs are shown as into the accompanying drawing in which like charterlocked with the lip 5 of the compressor plate. acters designate corresponding parts infall the The locking means for holding the compressor views. plate from shifting. movement when the prongs Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of this paare interlocked withthe lip ,5 and positively hold- 36 per fastener applied to a bundle of papers. ing the prongs in their inter-engaged position Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, partly with the compressor plate, as distinguished from broken away and with the prongs in their position a frictional locking means, comprises tongues 8 assumed when in upright position and showing struck from the compressorplate and extending the tongues or locking means. lengthwise thereof betwen the lips 5, 6,- each hav- 35 Figure 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3, Figing a portion 9 at its free end movable behind ure 1. theadjaoent prong 2. when it is locked with the Figure 4 is a sectional view on line if-4, Figlipv 5 of the compressor plate. The tongues. are ure 3. resilient and tend to press upwardly out of. the

40 This D perfastening includes ge e a y a e plane of the compressor plate. As here shown, 0 plate having pw y extending p s r the tongues are provided with a wider, base porp r 'ns' entering the bundle of pap rs t b tion, and the shoulder or portion 9v which interfas'tened 'and a compressor plate'having translocks'with the prongs when bent down, is narv rse uid s, s slots, enacting w the p on s, rower than the base portion. so that when the v the pr n s b i b dab t ward each oth r prongs are inter-engaged with the lip 5, they are 45' down on the c mpr r plate, and the Compresalso subject to the upward pressureof the tongues s plate having ns h s nelip a e 8 applied thereto through the wider base orone of its longitudinal edges, and preferably ,for tions of t tongues 1 the reasons hereinafte s th-3 0 both n operation, after the compressor plate has edges, for interlocking with the bent-down prongs b a plied to thejprongs, which hav b 50 up n y Shifting 0f com plate passed through theipapers, the prongs ,arebent ward the prongs, afterthe prongs are bent down down toward each other ontothe base platelbe on the plate,,and unlocking therefrom upon a tweenthe lips 5 6,andov erl ies the tongues 8 inbodily movement in the reverse direction, and eluding thenarrowerportion 9 thereof. The W means on the base plate or self-contained therecompressor plate 3 is then shifted bodily up- .5 I

wardly (Figures 1, 2), so that the lip is carried in position to overhang the prongs 2 and hold them in their bent down position. During this movement the portions 9 of the tongues are carried out from under the prongs 2 and flexed upwardly into interlocking engagement with the edges of the prongs (Figure 1), and thus prevent retrograde shifting movement of the compressor plate when the prongs are locked. To release the prongs for the purpose of removing or adding papers, the. tongues 8 or the end portions 9 thereof are compressed by the ends of the forefingers of the hand to below the level of the prongs 2 and the compressor plate shifted down-- wardly to move the lip 5 out of engagementwith the prongs 2 and move the end portions 9 of the tongues out from under the prongs, so that the prongs can now be bent upwardly or straightened to permit the removal of the compressor plate, and the addition or removal of papers; The operator may move the compressor plate downwardly to interlock the prongs 2 with the overhanging lip 6, in which case, the end portions 9 of the tongues 8 will remain under the prongs, when the prongs are interlocked with the lip 5, and exert an upward pressure thereagainst, tending to frictionally hold the compressor plate from shifting. Also, when the prongs are interlocked with the lip 5 with the end portions 9' of the tongues obstructing relative shifting movement of the prongs and the compressor plate, the wider base portions 8 of the tongues also exert an upward pressure against the prongs.

By this construction, a paper fastener of this type is provided with positive locking means,as distinguished from frictional locking means at practically no additional cost.

What I claim is:

1. A paper fastener including a base plate having upwardly extending prongs for entering the papers to be fastened, a compressor plate having transverse guidescoacting with the prongs, the prongs being bendable toward each other down on the compressor plate and the compressor plate having means along one of its longitudinal edges for interlocking with the bent down prongs upon shifting of the plate toward the prongs after the prongs are bent down onto the plate, and locking means on the plate movable into engagement with the prongs to hold them in interlocking position upon shifting movement of the compressor plate into locking engagement with the prongs.

2. A paper fastener including a base plate having upwardly extending prongs for entering the papers to be fastened and a compressor plate having transverse guides coacting with the prongs, the prongs being bendable toward each other down on the compressor plate and'the compressor plate having means along one of its longitudinal edges for interlocking with the bent down prongs upon shifting movement of the plate toward the prongs, after the prongs are bent down, and locking means on the compressor plate underlying the prongs when the prongs are bent down and having portions movable into interlocking engagement with the prongs after the compressor plate is shifted to interlock the first means with the prongs.

3. A paper fastener including a base plate having upwardly extending prongs for entering the papers to be fastened, a compressor plate having transverse guides coacting with the prongs, the prongs being bendable toward each other down on the compressor plate and the compressor plate having means along one of its longitudinal edges for interlocking with the bent down prongs upon shifting movement of the plate toward the prongs, after the prongs are bent down, and locking means on the compressor plate underlying the prongs when the prongs are bent down, and having portions movable into interlocking engagement with the prongs after the compressor plate is shifted to interlock the first means with the prongs, said locking means including resilient tongues, each having a portion movable intopositionto obstruct the relative shifting movement of the compressor plate when the'prongs are interlocked with the compressor plate.

' '4. A paper fastener including a base plate having upwardly extending prongs for entering the papers, to be fastened, a-compressor plate having transverse guides coacting with the prongs, the

prongs :being bendable toward each other down on the compressor plate and the compressor plate having means along one of its'longitudinal edges for interlocking with the bent ,down prongs upon shifting movement of the plate toward the prongs, after the, prongs are bent down, the compressor plate having resilient tongues struck therefrom arranged beneath the prongs when bent down, each tongue having a portion movable into position to obstruct the shifting movement of the compressor, plate, when the prongs are interlocked with the compressor plate. 5. A paper fastener including a base plate having upwardly extending prongs for entering the papers to be fastened, a compressor plate having transverse guides coacting with the prongs, the

,prongs being bendable toward each other down on the compressor plate and the compressor plate having means along one of its longitudinal edges for interlocking with the bent down prongs upon shifting movement of the plate toward the prongs, after the prongs are bent down, and locking means including resilient tongues, each having a portion movable into position to obstructthe shifting movement of the compressor plate when the prongs are interlocked with the compressor plate, each of said tongues having a base portion underlying the adjacent prong when bent down onto the compressor plate and a narrower end portion movable into position behind the prong to obstruct movement of the compressor plate and prongs when the prongs are interlocked with the compressor plate.

6. A paper fastener including a base plate having upwardly extending prongs for entering papers to be fastened, a compressor plate having transverse guides coacting with the prongs, the prongs being bendable toward each other on the compressor plate and the compressor plate having means along its opposite longitudinal edges either of which interlocks with the bent down prongs upon shifting movement of the plate toward the prongs, after the prongs are bent down on the plate, and resilient means on the plate and pressing upwardly on the bent down prongs.

7. A paper fastener including a base plate having upwardly extending prongs for entering papers to be fastened, a compressor plate having transverse guides coacting with the prongs, the prongs being bendable toward each other on the compressor plate and the compressor plate having means along its opposite longitudinal edges either of which interlocks with the bent down prongs upon shifting movement of the plate toward the prongs, after the prongs are bent down on the plate, and resilient tongues struck from the base plate and arranged to create an upward pers to be fastened, a compressor plate having transverse guides coacting'with the prongs, the

prongs being bendable toward each other on the.

compressor plate and the compressor plate hav ing overhanging lips along its opposite longituo dinal edges either of which interlocks with the bentdown prongs upon shiftingmovement of the plate toward the prongs, after the prongs are bent down on the plate, and resilient tongues struck from the base plate and arranged to create an upward pressure on the bent down prongswhen the prongs'are interlocked with either of the lips, said tongues having portions movable into-interlocking engagement with the prongs when the prongs are interlocked with one of said lips.

HENRY HELLMAN." i 

